I hate wasting food. I know that there is always some waste- the celery tops and bottoms, the hard part at the bottom of a cabbage- that doesn't bother me. I gladly give that stuff back to the earth. (Just doing my part y'all!) What bothers me is the can of soup I hadddddd to have at some point (pre-2009 evidentially because it's been out since 11/09!) but let it go bad. You see gentle reader I was organizing and cleaning out my cupboards this morning (glam life alert!) which I do every few months. Somehow this lentil soup has snuck by undetected for YEARS. I don't even really like lentil soup pretty people... But that's not the point. I basically threw away about $20 worth of expired dry goods today. I know that's not a ton of money but it's $20 worth that I could have donated at some point to a hungry family.
Since I left my job in October I've been cooking more (much more!) I have also adopted a few big shopping strategies;
1. Buy only what you need
2. Buy in bulk only if
A.) it's a super great deal
B.) it's a staple item
3. Shop more frequently
4. Meal plan so I can make a list from the plan
So it makes sense that I have 6 cans of green beans on hand right now- we eat them ALL the time. I realize that I have stale (extra crunchy if you are a glass is half full kinda person!) crackers because I buy a new pack and we don't finish the old pack. That is my fault. BUT starting today- gone are the days that I throw out food because it expired. I will let the grocery stores hold the carrying costs/deal with spoilage and only buy what we need.
What about you- what is your grocery shopping strategy? Any great habits or tips to share?
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